Honeycomb spacer strip

ABSTRACT

A SELF-GRIPPING SPACER STRIP READILY INSTALLED CROSSWISE OF THE ENDS OF A BEEHIVE SUPER AND PROVIDED WITH SEATING NOTCHES FOR USE IN HOLDING ARTIFICIAL HONEYCOMBS PROPERLY SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER IN A SUPER. EACH STRIP INCLUDES A RESILIENT TANG AT ITS ENDS HAVING AN INTERFERENCE FIT WITH THE ADJACENT SIDEWALL OF THE SUPER. THE STRIP ALSO INCLUDES A SUPPORT LEDGE FOR THE HONEYCOMBS AND DESIGNED AS TO REST AGAINST THE CONVENTIONAL RABBET ALONG THE INNER EDGES OF THE SUPER ENDWALLS.

United States Patent [191 Croan 3,820,177 June 28, 1974 HONEYCOMB SPACER STRIP Inventor: Kenneth F. Croan, 2165 N. Grand v O k Almd C lif 9100] Primary Examiner-Robert Peshock Assistant Examiner-l Q. Lever [22] Fledi 1973 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sellers and Brace [2]] Appl. No.: 335,781

[57] ABSTRACT A self-gripping spacer strip readily installed crosswise Related US. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 107.950 Jan. 20, 197], Pat. No. 3,758.896.

of the ends of a beehive super and provided with seating notches for use in holding artificial honeycombs properly spaced from one another in a Super. Each [58 i 6/2 R 2 A strip includes a resilient tang at its ends having an in- 1 le 0 care terference fit with the adjacent sidewall 0f the super.v

The strip also includes a support ledge for the honey- [56] g gig g gi combs and so designed as to rest against the conventional rabbet along the inner edges of the super endwalls.

RA an 66 8 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures HONEYCOMB SPACER STRIP This application is a division of my copending application for U.S. Letters Pat. Ser. No. 107,950, filed Jan. 20, 1971, entitled Artificial Honeycomb and Method of Collecting and Recovering l-Ioney, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,896.

This invention relates to honey collection and recovery and more particularly to an improved highefficiency low-cost artificial honeycomb and to means for manipulating and supporting the same in a conventional beehive super and to a method of collecting and recovering honey using such an artificial comb.

It has long been conventional practice to collect honey in beehives comprising one or more supers having provision therein for supporting a conventional rectangular wooden frame capable of holding about six pounds of honey. In the above described wood frame, it is necessary to hand mount a wire reinforced foundation wax sheet, a costly and time consuming operation. After the prepared frames have been installed in the beehive, the bees must expendconsiderable time and energy in building the wax cell walls before honey can be deposited. Various proposals have been made heretofore to overcome these and other shortcomings of prior practices but these attempts have been far from satisfactory and are subject to numberous shortcomings avoided by the present invention.

To this end this invention provides a greatly improved reusable honeycomb having preformed cells and numerous other unique features and advantages not heretofore available. The new comb can be manufactured from strong. rigid, durable, lightweight, plastic material readily cleaned and sterilized for repeated use. The frame and comb combination extends from end to end of the super compartment and its opposite faces are substantially fully 'covered'with a multiplicity of wells having the same approximate configuration as natural honeycomb cells. The depth of the individual wells may vary but in a preferred embodiment are equal to three quarters of the depth of natural honey cells with the result that the bees may expend a maximum of their time collecting and depositing honey,'the only wax making operation being that required to complete the cell and cap the individual wells as filled. It is important that the well axes be acutely inclined upwardly from the horizontal similarly to the inclination of natural honey cells.

Owing to the characteristics and strength of the constituent material, substantially the full face area of each comb may be perforated and utilized to store honey. The conventional wood frame and wax foundation requires much of its 'furface area for structural strength. Because of the inherent strength of the plastic material of the'invention comb, the well area has been extended to a percent greater area than is possible withthe wooden frame. Each comb is molded with lugs projecting from its upper corners each notched and recessed to permit use of a standard hive servicing tool of either conventional but preferably the novel form provided by this invention. This hive tool includes tong legs at one end for gripping. and seating in recesses opening through the lugs of the comb. The opposite end of the tool includes a sharp-edged scraper section usable in scraping wax and the like encrusted matter from the hive surfaces.

The combs are held spaced from one another on the rabbeted ends of the supers using a readilyinserted self-clamping spacer strip and cooperating with tongue means on the combs to hold the combs properly spaced apart and vertical. Spring tangs at the opposite ends of this strip press against the super sidewalls previously constructed for use with the now out moded wooden frames. Owing to the thinness of the spacer strips, the supers are convertible to use with either type of honey frame.

The flat faces of the invention comb make it a simple matter to use these surfaces to guide a cutting blade to uncap the cells if this method is preferred over the high speed centrifugal method. Alternatively, and according to another mode of use made possible by this invention, the cells need not'be uncapped. Thus either the honeycombs themsleves, or supers along with all the honey charged combs still in place therein may be placed directly in centrifuge equipment. The charged combs are preheated, either before or after being placed in the centrifuge, to a temperature softening the wax and enabling the centrifuge action'to extract all honey from the cells. This technique is not possible when using wood frames with wax cells since the wax cell walls will soften and collapse.

It will therefore be recognized that the invention greatly simplifies and minimizes the cost of processing beehives to collect honey. All phases of the complete operation are characterized by improvements in design, lower cost, greater efficiency, less labor and increases the hive capacity substantially. Additionally the Another object of the invention is the provision of a I one-piece, self-gripping honeycomb spacer strip readily installed in and removed from a hive super.

These and other more specific objects will appear .upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

'Referring now to the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical beehive super showing several components of the invention in their installed operating relationships to one another;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the upper left hand corner of FIG. 1 but with the tong end of the hive tool gripping a comb in readiness to lift the comb from the super;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken in part along line 3-3 on FIG. 2;

' ing temperature. I

FIG. 9 a generally schematic cross-sectionalyv-iew at their inner endsby a commonfbottorn wall .35; Desir taken transversely through a centrifugal extractor hav-.;

a honey recovery operation.

Referring initilly more particularlyzto therejis shown a typical and preferred embodiment of t emvention artificial honeycombdesignated g enerally, 10, r

I ing a pluralityiof honey charged; supers inireadiness for: I

assembled lengthwise of a standard beehive superll.

The latter includes endwalls 12, 12 rigidly connectedto g sidewalls; 1 3. and fully: openon its. upper; and: lower; sidesSuch supers are stacked one on topofanother in .known manner along with othcrhivecomponentsito form a complete beehive. The upper inner edge ofeach endwall 12 is rabbeted at l5-to 'prov'ide a supporting 7 ledge forlugs projecting from the upper corners of conventional wooden honeycomb frames. When supersxll are converted touse with the present invention, rabbets support a one-piece sheet metal spacer strip 1 6 having means now to be described holding combs l0, l0 uniformly'spaced from one another. I

ably, but not necessarily, the wells 34 have a depth corresponding to the depth of natural honey cells although I 11 I they, may be'substanrially shallower if desired. Preferawardlysufficiently to retain the honeylf the wells are of the proper depth and properly inclined upwardly it has been found that therbees-will not extend the cell i v walls but will fill them withhoney and then'cap the outer endsas is indicated at 37,

Spacerstri'ps 16, as here shown, are formed from a 7 single strip of resilient sheet metal shaped to nest against rabbeting 15 along theinner rim edge of endwall 12. Each spacer includes an upright first flange 19 and a downwardly projecting channel-shaped second flange20 interconnected by a horizontal web portion 21. The opposite ends of flange 1 9 are formedswith tangs23 having their lo'weredges sheared fromthere- I mainder of the strip and connectedto the main body of I, .the strip only along the hinge, area 24. lt' willbe under- An important feature of combslO is. the provision at its upper corners of outwardly. projecting lugs 40. Yr

These are proportioned to overlie and rest upon. the

web portion 2L of spacer strips 16., The top surfaces of 7 lugs 40 lie substantially flush with the upper edges of I the super and are positioned to be engaged'by the jaws 54 of a centrifuge conventionally used to extract the honey. It is also pointed out and emphasized that the t entireperimeteriof thecomb except for lugs 40 and V tonguesll is spaced from the juxtaposedsurfaces of 7 I the super walls or of a super cover oranother-super as stood that the outer end edges 25 of tangs 23 project sufficiently to have a forced interferencefit between 7 the interior surfaces of the supersid'ewalls 1'3, 13.. This fact together .with the resiliency of the tangs renders the tangs self-grippingpand: highly effective to lock the strips firmly assembled'wi thflanges l9 and web ,20rest ing flush against the walls of rabbet 115. Thestrip is then moved' toward its installed position as tangs ,23 lflex' toward one another as necessary. .As the. striplreaches I r If it is desired to keepthe' strips permanently'installedysome users may'prefer to add tacks asindicated V at .27 in FlG. 5. These tacks pass through openings in. the dished or'dimpled portions 28 of flange 20'. These dimples are proportioned to seat against. the super:end-

wall when properly seated on rabbet 15 with 'therresult its installed position edges 25 biteintothe sidewall-l3 0 and firmly grip and retain the strip inplacer that the dimples prevent overdrivingthe tacks-Hand deformation, of flange 20'. Theoverhang of thetack' head facilitates withdrawal of the tack. An important feature of spacer strips 15 is the provision of any desired, number and spacing of channels or grooves ,30

shaped portion 31 protruding horizontally. from either; endof comb 10, this feature being bestshown inFlG.

6. v 7 Combsll) forming an important feature of the pesent invention are preferably molded from highst-rengthgplasticcomposition. The material is selected from various commercially available materials which will not 42 therebyfirmly and positively gripping the comb to provide bee passages of optimum size. This is important in permitting proper circulation of thebees to all areas of the hive anddiscourage-s burr combsppening outwardly throughthe vertical ends: of each lug40 isa a a,"

V-shaped notch ,4! (FIG. 13 );for seating aisuitablepry- 3 ing tool useful in loosening and elevating the combs from their installed positionnLugs lfl also preferably include a recess or a passage 42' by which the combs I a if s can be hunginsterilizing anddrying equipment, etc.

This recess is also useful in seating the jaws of tongs'or other handlingtoolas. will be described presently.

Hive tool 45 forming animportant:accessory of the I invention is best shown in FIGS; '1 2 and S as compris 7 ing a one piece, U shaped main body having tongleg's; I 1 r 46, 46 interconnected by thebight portion 47. When used asa prying tool. the tongalegs 4.68am: as a handle .11.;

whilethe tool is. rocked counterclockwise as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3 against theuppered'ge: of the flange 16 I with tabs 26 providingabroad area fulcrumThe bight portion has; a sharpedged extension. which may: be used as a scraper and cleaning device, Not infrequently the combs become stuck tothe spacer strip or to other parts of the superby wax. In this event, tool: 45 is highly I effective in freeing the comb following which the user having a loose" slidingflt with thegcomplernentally V I warp or deform, particularly when heatedto a steriliz- Q The comb'includes a continuousperimeter framelil (F I08; 6, 7) having a widthcorr'esponding tethe -thick.-

ness of the combas a whole as,:for examplmone half to nearlytwo inches. Each facecomprisesa multiplicity: of small diameter wells 34 separated'from one another? strip 16. Although only one hive tool45 is shown -it will; i I be understood that the operator may carry a toolxin depresses lugs 50' projecting inwardly from the inner surfaces of legs 46 intothe opposite ends of openings nated 45'. The tool is shown in FIG. 1 in use topry a V thespacer strip 16 by burr comb free if it is stuck to comb. j

As will be readily recognized, lugs or tongueSl projecting from the endwal'ls of the combs. (FIGJS) are sized. toseat in the channels or grooves 30 of spacer each hand each usable as shown in FIG. 1 to manipulate an end of the comb.

' After the combs are filled with honey, the supers are removed bodily to a processing plant. There the individual combs may be removed from the supers but preferably the honey-charged supers are placed in hot rooms 53 (FIG. 8) where they are preheated until the wax caps 37 have softened. Alternatively, the charged supers may be slid sidewise into the gripping jaws 54 at the outer ends of the centrifuge arms 55. This operation may be performed with .the lug end 41 of the combs facing outwardly away from the axis of the centrifuge thereby avoiding the need for clamping the combs in the supers since the jaws 54 overlie lugs 40 and retain combs l0 firmly in place. The centrifuge is then rotated at an appropriate speed by driving motor 57 to expel the honey from the comb wells. If desired, the interior of the centrifuge and the charged supers are first preheated to soften the wax caps. Since this mode of softening the wax slows the extraction cycle, it is preferable to preheat the supers before loading the extractor.

The extraction having been completed, the supers are lifted from the centrifuge and processed in cleaning and sterilizing equipment before being returned to the hive.

While the particular honeycomb spacer strip herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and thatno limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. For use in a beehive super of the type having a pair of honeycomb seating ledges facing toward one another and extending crosswise of the upper transverse end walls thereof, that improvement which comprises: a pair of spacer strips adapted to be supported one crosswise of either opposite interior transverse end of a beehive super, said spacer strip being formed of thin flexible stock and including first and second upright flanges extending in opposite directions from the lateral edges of a connecting web normal to at least one of said upright flanges, said spacer strips having means integral therewith for holding the same assembled parallel to the inner upright rim edge of a respective one of a super end wall and having positioning means distributed therealong adapted to internest with cooperating complementally shaped positioning means carried by a honeycomb whereby a pair of said spacer strips cooperate to support a plurality of separate honeycombs in spaced-apart side-by-side parallel relation from the opposite ends of a super.

2. A pair of honeycomb spacer strips as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said means for holding the same assembled to a super includes deflectable tang means resiliently engageable with a juxtaposed interior surface of a super sidewall assaid strips are inserted into a proper assembled position alongthe upper rim edge of a super end wall and adapted to resist displacement of the strip from said assembled position.

3. A pair of honeycomb spacer strips as defined in claim 2 characterized in that one of said upright flanges includes resilient tang means at one end of said strips having an edge positioned to bite into the interior surface of a super side wall when said strips are properly assembled crosswise of a super end and adapted to cooperate therewith to resist displacement of said strip from said assembled position with a stronger bite in response to a dislodging force.

4. A pair of honeycomb spacer strips as defined in claim 1 characterized in that at least one end of one of said upright flanges is formed with tang means extending at an acute angle to the length of said strips and projecting beyond the end thereof by a distance sufficient to bite into the interior surface of a super side wall as said strip is forcibly assembled flush against the interior upper edge portions of a super end wall.

5. A pair of honeycomb spacer strips as defined in claim 4 characterized in that said second upright flange projects downwardly toward the bottom of a super when assembled thereto, said second flange being generally channel-shaped in cross section with the open side thereof facing toward the interior surface of the super end wall, and said second flange having spaced apart notches having parallel edges therein adapted to interflt with the complementally shaped opposite ends of a honeycomb formed with parallel surfaces having a sliding fit in said notches and cooperating therewith to hold a honeycomb firmly against tilting while assembled to said notches.

6. A honeycomb spacer strip adapted to be wedged into and thereby retained in assembled position adjacent the inner upper edge of a beehive super and providing means for supporting a pluralityof honeycombs in suspension therefrom in vertical planes extending lengthwise of a super, said spacer strip having a length slightly greater than the interior width at the opposite ends of a super and having a forced interference fit therewith, said strip having first and, second upright flanges projecting in opposite directions and generally normal to a respective lateral edge of a web interconnecting said flanges, said second flange lying inwardly of said first flange when said strip is assembled to a super endwall, and said second flange having uniformly spaced and sized notches extending thereacross and adapted to internest with complementally shaped tongue means projecting from the vertical end edge of a honeycomb and effective to hold a honeycomb detachably assembledto a super and restrained in separate parallel planes and suitably spaced from adjacent honeycombs.

7. A honeycomb spacer strip as defined in claim 6 characterized in that at least one end of said first flange includes tang means projecting beyond the end of the strip proper and effective to bite into the juxtaposed interior surface of the super side wall as the strip is forcibly pressed into assembled position and effective to wedge said strip in place therein.

8. A spacer strip as defined in claim 6 characterized in that said first flange is adapted to lie closely parallel to the upper inner edge of a super thereby protecting said inner super edge from damage from a hive tool while the latter is in use as a lever to pry a filled honeycomb loose. 

